The acclaimed play The Sty of the Blind Pig by Phillip Hayes Dean was cited by Time magazine as one of the 10 best plays of 1971.
And it's easy to see why in this revival by the Ensemble Theatre, which drew renewed acclaim in 2008 during a run in Houston. It now comes to the National Black Theatre Festival.
The four-person character study takes place entirely in the living room of a rundown Chicago apartment in the late 1950s. The occupants are Alberta Warren (Cheray Dawn Josiah), a melancholic, thirtysomething spinster who yearns for a different life, and her mother Weedy (Deborah Oliver Artis), a fussy, overly protective woman who clings to religion and doesn't want her little girl to grow up and grow away from her.
Weedy's ne'er-do-well brother Doc (Wayne DeHart) is a frequent visitor, and provides some comic relief with his wry quips and fondness for alcohol and gambling. But he has a good heart, and wants to look after his sister and niece.
The monotony of Alberta's life -- going from the drudgery of her day job as a maid to spending her nights bickering with her mother -- takes a turn when she meets Blind Jordan (Timothy Eric), a charismatic, blind street musician.
Weedy is immediately suspicious of the interloper, but Alberta is intrigued by him.
The play revolves around pent-up emotions, which sometimes lead to breakdowns -- some downright uncomfortable in their intensity -- and revelations of inner secrets.
The performances are solid all around, and the stress between the characters is palpable on stage.
And there is a subtext revolving around the dawn of the civil-rights movement, something the older generation of Weedy and Doc can't fathom, not knowing why young people are so prone to change.
■ Tim Clodfelter can be reached at 727-7371 or at tclodfelter@wsjournal.com.
■ The Sty of the Blind Pig will be performed at 3 and 8 p.m. today at the Arts Council Theatre. Tickets, $37, are available at the Benton Convention Center.
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